Improvement in boiler attachments



vA. M. CUMMING @L W. RHODES.4

Boiler-Attachments.

N0.149 030. Patented March 31,1874- UNITED STATES-PATENT OEEIcEALEXANDER M. OUMMING, OE ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, AND WILLIAM RHODES, OENEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BOILER ATTACHMENTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,030, dated March31,1E74; application tiled February 27, 1874.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER M. CUM- MING, of the city of Elizabeth,in the county of Union, in the State of New Jersey, and WIL- LIAMRHODES, of the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Boilers, of which thefollowing is a specication:

This invention has reference to certain new and useful improvements insteam-boilers, whereby means are provided for heating the water admittedat the lower part of the boiler by conducting the cold water into areservoir or receiver located in the steam-space of the boiler, orpartially below the water-line and partially within the steam-space, thewater being forced into said receiver through pipes, arranged one oneach side of the boiler, by the steam-pressure in the boiler, so as tocause it to be heated to such an extent as will insure the generation ofsteam, which then forces the heated water back into the lower part ofthe boiler. The invention further consists iu arranging within thereservoir receiving water from the bottom of the boiler a float, whichslides vertically on a pipe in such a manner that,l when the reservoiris lled with water, the float will close said pipe to enable thegeneration of steam to takeplace, and as soon as the steam has reachedits maximum pressure, to force the heated water back again into theboiler, the float will fall and expose the dischargeorifice in the pipeou which it slides, so as to enable the steam to pass off into theexternal atmosphere, thus creating a partial vacuum in the reservoir,which is immediately filled by the inux of cold water from the boiler.The invention further consists in constructing the iioat of twoconcentric cylinders or shells closed at the top and bottom, and placedin such relation to each other as to form an intervening space, which islled with cork or other light material, the base of the inner cylinderbeing provided with apertures which are always in direct communicationwith the hollow stem or relief-pipe, so as to enable such water or steamas may penetrate the oat to pass off through the relief-pipe.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewof a steam-boiler representing our invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 isa transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectionalview, representing the iioat and relief-pipe.

,The letter B designates a reservoir or chamber, which may be locatedentirely in the steann space of the boiler, or partially below thewaterline and partially within the steam-space, the latter arrangementbeing preferred in order to locate the reservoir as near the crown-sheetor tubes of the boiler as is practicable, to absorb all the heat asrapidly as possible when the water falls below its proper or usuallevel. The reservoir, located as described, is provided with pendenttubes A, arranged one on each side of the boiler, and extend to thelower part of the boiler for conducting the cold water from the bottominto the reservoir, the eleva tion of the water being effected throughthe medium of the surface steam-pressure in the boiler. The cold wateradmitted into the reservoir, becoming highly heated, is measurably orentirely evaporated, and upon the occurrence of this result the heatedwater is automatically conducted into the boiler by thepressure of thesteam in the reservoir, which pressure is then removed after havingperformed its function by means of a relief or escape pipe, l). Saidpipe is surrounded by a ioat, C, which operates in such a manner thatwhen the water from the boiler is forced into the reservoir thel oatwill be raised so as to act as a valve for closing the lower end of therelief-pipe. The

heating of the water and the generation of steam are then permitted totake place in the reservoir, and as soon as the steam has attained itsmaximum pressure it will tend to drive the heated water back into theboiler, which causes y the float to fall, thus uncovering the lower endof the relief-pipe for permitting the steam in the reservoir to pass outthrough the reliefpipe into the external atmosphere, a gage or whistle,a, and stop-cock b being also combined with said pipe, together orseparately. The removal of the steam-pressure from the reserf voir willcreate a partial vacuum in the same, which is immediately filled by theefflux of fresh water from the boiler, and thus a continuous circulationof the cold water from the bottom of the boiler into the reservoir ispermitted to take place.

By means of this invention, it will be perceived that an automaticforcing up of the colder water from the boiler into the reservoir, andreturn of the same water when heated or evaporated, is continued so longas the water in the lower part of the boiler is colder than the steam inthe steam-chamber. Furthermore, by our invention, an equal expansion isalso produced in all. parts of the boiler, thereby preventing leakage,ruptures, and eX- plosions, and insuring a more general diffusion ofheat, and enabling more steam to be gener ated by a stated quantity offuel to prevent what is termed framing and thc superheating of steam.

Ilhe float G, operating' on the hollow stem or relief-pipe l) for theobject above stated, is composed of two concentric cylinders or shells,E F, which are connected at top and bottom by heads G, so as to form anintervening space between the two cylinders, which is designed to befilled with cork or other light material. The inner cylinder is madesmaller than the outer one, and its internal diameter is some whatlarger than the diameter of the reliefpipe so as to enable the iioat torise and fall freely on the latter, and to form a space for the downwardpassage of the steam from the reservoir into the relief-pipe. A valve orplug, ll, constitutes the bottom of the inner cylinder oi the float, thesame being' arranged in such relation to the relief-pipe that when theiioat is in a raised position, due to the presence of the water in thereservoir, the bottom ofthe relief-pipe is closed, so as to prevent theescape of steam, but at other times the steam is permitted to escapefreely. rEhe plug or valve H, at the base of the inner cylinder, isprovided with an axial bore, c, and with two horizontal or diagonalpassages, d, which communicate with said bore, and with openings c inthe lower end of the inner cylinder of the iioat.

The object of this construction is to permit such steam or water as maypossibly enter the pores or joints of the iioat to escape through theopenings into the relief-pipe.

The object in using two pipes, one on each side ot' the boiler, asillustrated in the drawing, is that a column of water descending throughone pipe will return in the same pipe, and will act and react in thesame direction. The hot water or steam, descending from the Maesereservoir to the bottom of the boiler, will also heat theconducting-pipes and the water in the boiler surrounding the pipes; and,further, when the water descends through one pipe, a current will beformed, and colder water will ascend in the opposite pipe, thusproducing a continuous circulation of the water. This circulation iseffected by reason of the fact that one side of the boiler is alwayshotter than the other-caused by the direction the flame or products ofcombustion takes.

It will be evident that the same result may be obtained by using twoconcentric pipes, or one within the other, the water, in this instance,descending through the inside pipe and ascending through the outer pipe.

Having' thus fully described our invention, what we claim isl. Areservoir or chamber located in the steam-space of a steamAboiler, andcommunieatin g with the water-space of the boiler by pipes A A, arrangedon each side of the boiler, and provided with means for relieving thepressure in said receiver, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. The combination otA the reservoir, located partly below thewater-line and partly within the steamspace, of pipes A, arranged one oncach side of the boiler, extending' from said reservoir into thewater-space, and means for relieving the pressure in said reservoir,substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination ot' a reservoir, located partly below the watcr-lineand partly within the steam-space, of the pipes A A, extendin on eachside of the boiler from said reservoir into the water-space, a floatprovided with a valve, and a relief-pipe or stop-cock, substantially asand for the purpose described.

4. The iioat C, constructed of two concentrical cylinders, having topand bottom heads filled with cork, in combination with the relief-pipeD, substantially as and for the pun pose described.

5. rihe iioat G, constructed of two concentric cylinders or sections,having' an apertured plug' or valve at its lower end, communicating'with the interior of the tloat and with the relief-pipe, substantiallyas and for the purpose described.

A. M. CUMlfHNG. WILLIAM RHODES.

Witnesses ROBERT J. IIrLLAs, C. A. Evans.

